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Physician Assistant schools seek students who they believe will make a good student
and more importantly, a competent, caring physician assistant. There is a huge investment
made by the physician assistant school and the taxpayers in the training of a physician
assistants (believe it or not, the $11,000-15,000/year tuition of public physician
assistant schools cover only a portion of the total costs) and consequently decisions
are made very carefully, using information from a variety of sources including: overall
undergraduate GPA, science (BCMP) GPA, GPA trend, GRE score, letter(s) of evaluation,
personal statement, health related experience, extracurricular activities, and the
interview. These factors are assessed by the admissions committee, usually appointed
by the Dean of the Physician Assistant School, that typically include faculty from
both basic and clinical science departments, as well as practitioners.

The Evaluation Process-

Admission committees strive for objectivity in their decision making. Physician Assistant
schools are looking for students who present evidence of strong intellectual ability,
a record of accomplishments, and personal traits indicative of the ability to communicate
and relate to patients in a realistic and compassionate manner. The five most important
factors used in making the decision are:

1) undergraduate academic record - Studies indicate that an important predictor of success in the basic science classes
in physician school is the quality of work in subjects leading to the baccalaureate
degree. It is evidence of your motivation and ability. The academic record includes
the overall GPA, science (BCMP) GPA, non-science GPA, performance in some individual
courses, and the overall trend. For instance, a poor freshmen year followed by improvements
over the next 2 years may be somewhat overlooked, whereas a declining record may not
be. The difficulty of your chosen curriculum is also noted. If you consistently
take the path of least resistance and avoid the tough classes, this will negatively
impact your record.

2) GRE score - The GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) has been shown to be the best single predictor of physician assistant school academic
performance used by admissions committees (virtually every school in the nation requires
it). National standardized tests, like them or not, are a fact of life in physician
assistant school and beyond (eg. PANCE a.k.a "the boards"). There is a significant
positive correlation between GRE scores and board exam scores.

3) letter of evaluation - You will typically need to request three letters of evaluation, one should be
composed by a Professor (Science). Your second should be composed by a Physician
Assistant. Please verify the institutions requirements on the third letter if one
is required. LOEs most often times are sent directly to CASPA.

4) personal statement (essay) - The CASPA application forms include a one page essay. The essay should describe
your motivation or desire to become a physician assistant. This can be a very difficult
and introspective part of the process. This is the student's opportunity to really
let the admission committee know who they are, to focus on their special strengths
that they feel they can offer the profession. After all, you want to somehow distinguish
yourself from all the other applicants with good grades and high test scores. What
interesting experiences or skills do you possess? What interesting personal anecdotes
can you relate that illustrate these experiences, skills, or traits? Be yourself
and write about your best points. Be prepared to discuss these points at your interview.

5) supplemental (secondary) application - Almost all physician assistant schools, including UK, require a supplemental application
in addition to CASPA. They vary significantly in their content and reflect the questions
that particular school considers important. It is recommended that the applicant review
the mission statement of the school and other on-line information before completing
the secondary for that school. Submit your secondary in a timely fashion to get an
early interview.

6) impression made in the interview - Typically the candidate will be interviewed by faculty members, practitioners,
and current students, each for 30 minutes. Interviewers will evaluate the student
candidate according to: a.) experience and knowledge of the profession; b.) interpersonal
skills; c.) motivation for seeking admission; and d.) responsibility and commitment.
Once an interview is scheduled, students may take advantage of a mock interview conducted
by the staff of the South Central AHEC on WKU's campus. The AHEC office can be reached by calling 270-745-3325.

Extracurricular Activities-

Extracurricular activities are important in that they are indications that you can
juggle a rigorous curriculum and still participate in outside activities be they work,
athletics, volunteer experience, or research experience. The CASPA application allows
you to list such activities. The level of your participation is more important than
the number and diversity of your activities. It is better to be immersed in a few
activities, and achieve increased levels of responsibility and leadership than to
gain a shallow experience in dozens of arenas. It is important to realize that time
spent outside of your academic pursuits is not a substitution for a modest academic
record. It may instead be an indication of poor judgement, poor time management or
skewed priorities. If your time spent in extracurricular activities is negatively
impacting your coursework, you would be best advised to scale it back a bit.

Health Related Experience-

It is crucial that you gain some experience in a health related activity. Whether
you volunteer in a hospital, clinic, physician's office, hospice or nursing home,
this activity will serve three important purposes. First, it will help you clarify
your decision to pursue a career as a physician assistant. You may find out that
being around injured and sick people makes you uncomfortable, that it is too stressful,
or that you faint at the sight of blood. Better to find this out now than after you
get to physician assistant school. Second, admissions committees view this as a sign
of your dedication and motivation to a career as a physician assistant and service
to your community. It will show that you have tested your career choice and have
reinforced your commitment. Third, it will give you experiences to draw on for your
personal statements and interviews. While arranging volunteer/shadowing experiences
is completely the responsibility of the student, information on willing physicians/agencies/hospital
contacts can be obtained from the South Central AHEC on WKU's campus (270-745-3325).